JULY, A.D. 2010
Summer days, with their accompanying heat, are fully upon us. Some plants are withering and fields are turning brown from the combination of high heat and low moisture. Heat advisories are on the increase. Temperatures are “above average” and some people are clamoring about “global warming”, as if it were an entirely new phenomenon in the earth’s history. There is no question that the earth’s temperature has risen measurable over the last few decades. The question is whether it is a manmade reality or a natural part of earth’s climatic cycles. The bigger question is whether God is in control or we are. Honest, objective students of the planet’s climatic history can point to various extended periods where the earth’s temperatures have risen and fallen substantially. We know that there have been “ice ages” in the past. We know that regions that are now sandy/rocky or ice covered deserts once were flourishing, even tropical areas. Some point to rising industrial emissions over the last two centuries as a major factor in “global warming”. Others see a connection between the sun’s solar flare cycles and the earth’s fluctuating temperatures. We can do something about controlling human-manufactured emissions. We can do nothing about sun spots, solar flares, and other extraterrestrial influences. We have to consider volcanic activity also. Back in the late 1800’s a single volcano, Krakatoa, erupted in Indonesia and spewed forth so much debris that weather around the globe was measurably effected for a year or more. Some also believe that thousands of years ago large asteroids or meteors slammed into the earth, causing catastrophic damage to the whole planet and its ecosystem.
The Bible makes it clear that God Almighty is the Creator and Sustainer of all that is. It is He, through Christ, Who holds all things together. In Colossians 1:15-17 we read (NEB):
“He is the image of the invisible God; his is the primacy over all
created things. In him everything in heaven and on earth was
created, not only things visible but also the invisible orders of
thrones, sovereignties, authorities and powers: the whole
universe has been created through him and for him.”
So it is Christ that holds all things together. Nothing is formed or demolished apart from His sovereign will. God knows the number of days He has ordained for the existence of this universe. At the appointed time the world will be consumed with fire (2 Peter 3:10). Until then we are to be good stewards of this world God has entrusted to us. We are to be good stewards of all that exists within our sphere of influence. We should lament the destructiveness of a gushing oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, but we should also be looking for ways to plug it, to clean up the mess it has caused, and seek ways to prevent further similar disasters from ever happening again. All this requires the active use of the sound minds God has endowed us with, as well as the compassionate hearts He has put within us to care for others among us, and those yet to be born in future generations. Pastor John
AUGUST, A.D. 2010
I recently read a book, SAVED BY HER ENEMY. It is a true story based on the experiences of two people, their families, and how God enabled a bright young woman from ‘post war’ Iraq to a university in the U.S. for graduate studies, and a new life. The young woman grew up in a Muslim home, the group not in power under the rule of Saddam Hussein, even though they were the majority of the population. She attended university in Baghdad and excelled in English. That proved to be most useful once Coalition forces deposed Saddam and set out to ‘rebuild’ Iraq. The other main character is a reporter from the U.S. named Don Teague. His background in the military gave him a unique perspective in his reporting of the news. It also provided survival skills that proved useful in many instances in the narrative. Don had a wife and two daughters back in the States. They would later play a major role in helping the young Iraqi settle in and adjust to a very different life in America. It was interesting to read how God paved the way for Rafraf (that is her name) to overcome bias among her own people to get a job in the ‘Green zone‘. This educated woman, a college graduate, who had never been outside the capital city of her country, now traveled with news teams to various parts of her homeland. As she traveled, she saw how completely untrue the news reports, school lessons, her whole world view that she had grown up with were. Her faith and her understanding of life was dramatically altered. The longer she worked for the Coalition forces, the more dangerous it became for her. At first it was just a job that paid very well, but she was working for ‘the enemy’. Over time she allowed herself to see how these foreigners cared about her, respected her, and valued her opinion more than the culture she grew up in had. Don and his wife, Kiki, discussed the possibility and implications of helping Rafraf get out of Iraq and living with them. All this took place at a time when the U.S. State Dept. was not granting visas to Iraqis. They talked to friends and colleagues, and sought the Lord’s will in all of this. In the end the paperwork was arranged and accepted, though Don was not sure just how. They also had to raise money to pay for her tuition in the master’s program in Florida. God also provided this, but not until after she was in the States. Only then did they learn that this was necessary for her admission to the school. God also moved in the heart of an unnamed customs agent in NYC that granted her a visa for three more months than expected; something none of them realized until the day before they thought she had to leave and return to Iraq, likely her death. And it really stunned her to find out that two of the most helpful people were Jews (one was Messianic). That undermined an deeply engrained prejudice against Jews that permeated her entire culture. Through it all Rafraf learned of and experienced the love of God for the first time in her life, because others were willing to take risks and go the extra mile to help someone very different from them, with no strings attached. They trusted God to touch her heart and He did. May we be as willing to reach out to others outside our regular circle of friends and neighbors and share the love of Christ with them. Pastor John
